The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named Dr. Eric Nelson, history professor at Missouri State University, a 2012 Missouri Professor of the Year. Colleges and universities across the United States nominate faculty members for this recognition.

“Dr. Nelson has a reputation as an enthusiastic professor, who engages his students in the study of history,” said Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, head of the department of history at Missouri State. “Dr. Nelson is not afraid to experiment with various methods of delivery inside and outside the classroom. He is especially adept at making use of new technologies to better engage students with the material. As an internationally recognized historian of France, Dr. Nelson epitomizes the model of the teacher-scholar at the heart of the Missouri State University mission.”

In 2012, CASE named 31 state award winners, including one from the District of Columbia. A panel of judges then determined four national winners from those finalists. Nelson was selected as a top national educator.

“It is a real honor to be recognized by such an important national organization dedicated to teaching excellence,” said Nelson. “I am grateful to Missouri State University for its support.  Working for an institution that values teaching highly and supports the use of technology to transform the student learning experience makes this award possible.”

Nelson holds a doctorate in history from the University of Oxford. His research interests include world history and studies in early modern France. He has published three books, written numerous articles and papers, and participated in a host of teaching and research fellowships worldwide.

CASE and the Carnegie Foundation have been partners in offering the U.S. Professors of the Year awards program since 1981. Additional support for the program is received from a number of higher education associates, including Phi Beta Kappa, which sponsors an evening congressional reception.

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